Department of Exercise Science Assistant Professor Kylie Harmon (right) and exercise science student Rylie DiMaio review a sonogram of DiMaio’s leg muscles to provide a baseline for Harmon’s research on preserving muscle strength during immobilization.

Mind over matter.

, an assistant professor in the in the Falk College of Sport and Human Dynamics, has always been fascinated by this deep-rooted idea that a person could control a physical condition with their mind.

More specifically, she wondered if a person could use their mind to preserve muscle mass and strength during a prolonged period of immobilization. For Harmon, turning this idea into actual research was sparked by where researchers used neuromuscular electrical stimulation on muscles immobilized in a cast to preserve leg strength and mass. Surprisingly, mass was preserved, but strength was not.

Harmon’s research found that given the role of the nervous system in immobilization-induced weakness, targeted interventions may be able to preserve muscle strength but not mass, and vice versa. Though preliminary, her findings highlight the specific nature of clinical interventions and suggest that muscle strength can be independently targeted during rehabilitation.

Harmon’s innovative research, which was conducted over several months and with nearly 40 participants, was by the peer-reviewed scientific journal Experimental Physiology.

We sat down with Harmon to learn more about her research, most surprising findings, and next steps. Here’s that discussion:

Kylie Harmon

Q: What did you learn from the previous research on this topic, and how did that frame what you wanted to accomplish with your research?

A: Those researchers saw that daily muscle stimulation helped to maintain muscle size, but didn’t impact muscle strength. In much of my work, I was using interventions that improved muscle strength but had no impact on muscle size. I had some experience with action observation and mental imagery, which are neural intervention techniques in which a person observes muscular contractions or thinks about performing muscular contractions without actually doing so. These have been shown to be effective for strength gain or preservation, as they activate the neuromuscular pathways responsible for strength production. However, they don’t impact muscle size.

So, I thought it would be interesting to directly compare these two interventions–neuromuscular electrical stimulation versus action observation + mental imagery–to see if previous findings held up. We decided to design a lower-limb immobilization study with one group performing daily action observation + mental imagery to preserve strength, and another group performing daily electrical stimulation to preserve muscle size. The goals were twofold: 1) To further demonstrate that strength and size are distinct qualities and need to be addressed with specific interventions and 2) To hopefully improve rehabilitation outcomes by preserving size and strength during immobilization.

Q: Once you established your goals, how did you determine your research methods?

A: It took several months and a lot of teamwork to determine our methods. I relied heavily on existing literature to determine how to best implement lower-limb immobilization, what leg braces to use, what joint angle to immobilize at, and how long immobilization was needed before we would observe decreases in strength and size. I reached out to authors of my favorite papers to ask them about their methodologies, such as how to design an appropriate action observation + mental imagery intervention and what stimulation devices to buy.

Once I had a good idea of the game plan, I presented the idea to my mentors and collaborators to get their feedback. Finally, we developed a sizable research team to help with the project: three Ph.D. students, three M.S. students, four physical therapy students, and five undergraduate students. It was very much a team effort!

As demonstrated by exercise science student Lydia Van Boxtel, the subjects in Kylie Harmon’s study need to learn how to use crutches after being fitted with the leg brace.

Q: Can you describe the process of gathering your data?

A: We screened 117 interested people, and when all was said and done, we had 39 individuals fully participate in the study. Prior to the immobilization week, we tested muscle strength, muscle size and the ability of their brain to activate their muscles. We then had physical therapy students fit participants with a leg brace and crutches and show them how to navigate a variety of obstacles–opening doors, using stairs, sitting and standing.

During their week on crutches, participants had to wear accelerometers around both ankles so we could ensure that they were actually using the brace and crutches when away from the lab. We gave them a shower chair to assist in bathing, as they had to keep the brace on at all times except during sleep. We asked them to track the food that they ate. We also had a member of the research team call and check in on each participant every day during the immobilization week to make sure they were complying with study protocols and weren’t running into any issues.

In addition to immobilization, one group performed daily action observation + mental imagery using a guided video and audio recording, and another group performed daily neuromuscular electrical stimulation on their thigh muscles with a stimulation device we gave them.

We had participants return to the lab for a post-testing visit and again re-tested their muscle strength, size and neuromuscular function. If they lost strength (which almost everyone did), we had them come back to the lab twice a week for lower body resistance training until they regained their strength. We didn’t want them to leave the lab with weak, small muscles because of our experiment. Not very ethical. We ensured they were recovered and as well. Amazingly, no one dropped out during the leg immobilization, and we had 100% compliance.

To read the full Q&A with Harmon, visit the .

The ���ϲ����� contingent at the American College of Sports Medicine annual conference included, from left to right, Andrew Heckel, Assistant Professor Joon Young Kim, Alaina Glasgow, Wonhee Cho and Tara Cuddihee from the Department of Exercise Science.

Four students in the in the were recognized for their exceptional research at the recent Mid-Atlantic Regional Chapter of the American College of Sports Medicine (MARC-ACSM) annual conference in Lancaster, Pennsylvania.

Doctoral students Alaina Glasgow and Andrew Heckel and undergraduate student Tara Cuddihee presented their research at the conference, while doctoral student Wonhee Cho presented for undergraduate student Eleanor Kwacz, who was unable to attend. (Read more about Cho and his research later in this story).

Heckel’s study was selected as a top five doctoral abstract, and Kwacz’s research was chosen as a top five undergraduate abstract. Exercise Science Assistant Professor works with all four students on their research and says they “demonstrate an impressive level of scientific understanding, critical thinking, hard work and dedication.”

“The students’ curiosity, intellectual rigor and resilience in tackling complex challenges reflect not only their individual talents but also the supportive academic environment that fosters their growth,” Kim says. “These students represent the next generation of researchers, innovators and problem-solvers.”

is comprised of a diverse group of professionals and students dedicated to the advancement of sports medicine and exercise science. The Mid-Atlantic Chapter represents Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, West Virginia and Washington, D.C., and “the chapter seeks to communicate scientific information, provide a forum for research, foster professional peer interaction and support career growth,” according to its website.

Doctoral student Wonhee Cho presents at the conference for Eleanor Kwacz, whose research was chosen as a top five undergraduate abstract.

Two Falk College faculty members also presented at the conference: Exercise Science Associate Professor (Measuring Sleep with Wearable Devices) and Department of Nutrition and Food Studies Assistant Professor (Moving Beyond Female Athlete Triad: Relative Energy Deficiency in Sport).

“This recognition strengthens ���ϲ�����’s reputation, opening doors to further collaborations, future funding opportunities and increased visibility within the academic community,” Kim says. “It highlights the faculty’s mentorship, the quality of resources available to students through their mentor, department, college and university, and the university’s role in advancing knowledge in their fields.”

To learn more about their research journey in Falk College, we asked doctoral student Heckel G’25 and Kwacz ’27, a health and exercise science major on the pre-med track, to tell us about the MARC-ACSM conference, their presentations and their mentors. Visit the to read their answers.

Stronger as a Team

Cho, who presented for Kwacz at the MARC-ACSM conference, is another student who has made a significant impact the Department of Exercise Science.

Cho’s most recently, co-authored by Kim and his team members, appeared in Science Direct, one of the world’s leading sources for scientific, technical and medical research. He recently presented his abstract at annual meeting in San Antonio, Texas, where he received $1,500 for being selected as a finalist for the 2024 Ethan Sims Young Investigator Award.

Cho’s abstract presentation, “Relative Fat Mass as an Estimator of Abdominal Adiposity in Youth Across the BMI Spectrum,” was the result of a collaboration between Kim’s lab and UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh, where Kim did his postdoctoral training before joining ���ϲ�����.

Heckel says he would have not been recognized by MARC-ACSM without the support and teamwork of his fellow lab mates, Cho and doctoral student Alaina Glasgow.

“Dr. Kim encourages us all to work together as a team, and I’m a better student and researcher today because of the people I get to surround myself with,” Heckel says. “I’m very thankful to have been able to work alongside Wonhee and Lainie during this project, and I’m excited for the future research we’ll all be able to do together.”

Visit the Department of Exercise Science website to learn more about Kim’s and exercise science , and . If you’d like to participate in research being conducted by the lab, contact Kim at jkim291@syr.edu.